Iowa House subcommittee passes bill declaring life begins at conception

A bill declaring that life is protected from the moment of conception was approved today by an Iowa House subcommittee, although it faces an uncertain future before the full Iowa Legislature.

The bill, House File 153, is proposed by state Rep. Kim Pearson,a Pleasant Hill Republican, She supported it along with Rep. David Heaton, a Mount Pleasant Republican. It was opposed by Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, an Ames Democrat. The measure declares that “life is valued and protected” beginning at conception and is accorded all the same rights and protections guaranteed to all persons by the U.S. Constitution and the laws of Iowa.

Although the bill is aimed at banning abortions, it does not declare specific penalties for those who provide abortions. Pearson said she believed doctors who perform abortions could be charged with a crime under her bill. But a woman who received an abortion could be considered less culpable depending upon the circumstances involved, she said in an interview after the meeting.

The bill now goes to the full 21-member Iowa House Human Resources Committee, where it is expected to have a good chance of passing, said Danny Carroll,a former Republican state lawmaker who is a lobbyist for the Family Leader, a group that promotes socially conservative policies. He believes the proposal also has a good chance of winning approval from the entire Republican-controlled House, although he’s uncertain of its prospects before the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat, has declined to speculate on the odds of such a bill passing.

The proposal, which would take effect upon enactment by the Iowa Legislature, also provides that the Iowa Supreme Court would not have jurisdiction on appeals over the bill’s provisions. Court appeals would be a certainty, however, because the legislation would be contrary to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1972 decision that legalized abortion throughout the United States.

Pearson said the intent of the bill is simple. “Life is sacred and worthy of protection…I believe that abortion is murder.” She added that she wanted to changed a “culture of death” to a culture of life.

Wessel-Kroeschell repeatedly raised questions about what she described were unintended consequences of the bill. For example, she asked whether certain types of contraception would be illegal under the proposal, what the impact would be on women seeking medical assistance in having children, and what the impact would potentially be upon women and their doctors.

“I appreciate where you are going.. I appreciate your respect for life, but I think we need to be careful of the consequences that it will have on Iowa’s families,” Wessel-Kroeschell told Pearson.

Two women who have undergone abortions testified in support of the bill. Jennifer Minney, 31, of Cedar Rapids, told how she was forced by an abusive ex-husband to have an abortion, which she deeply regretted. She told of repeated suicide attempts and other personal problems that followed her abortion.

“I felt I was no better than Timothy McVeigh. I killed somebody,” Minney said, referring to the man executed for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., which killed 168 people.

Roxie Richard of Dakota City, Ia., told a similar story of deep regret in the wake of her abortion.

“This is murder and it has to stop. There is someone who has to speak for these babies who cannot speak for themselves,” Richard said.

Planned Parenthood lobbyist Kyle Carlson spoke against the bill, saying he was concerned about the potential consequences of the legislation. He said decisions about abortion should be left to families in consultation with their doctors that could address many unique circumstances affecting abortions.